PART IV. 



I AM in doubt as to the propriety of making my 

 first meditations in the place above mentioned 

 matter of discourse ; for these are so metaphysical, 

 and so uncommon, as not, perhaps, to be acceptable 

 to every one. And yet, that it may be determined 

 whether the foundations that I have laid are 

 sufficiently secure, I find myself in a measure con- 

 strained to advert to them. I had long before 

 remarked that, in relation to practice, it is some- 

 times necessary, to adopt, as if above doubt, opin- 

 ions which we discern to be highly uncertain, as has 

 been already said ; but as I then desired to give my 

 attention solely to the search after truth, I thought 

 that a procedure exactly the opposite was called for, 

 and that I ought to reject as absolutely false all 

 opinions in regard to which I could suppose the 

 least ground for doubt, in order to ascertain 

 whether after that there remained aught in my 

 belief that was wholly indubitable. Accordingly, 

 seeing that our senses sometimes deceive us, I was 

 willing to suppose that there existed nothing really 

 such as they presented to us; and because some 

 men err in reasoning, and fall into paralogisms, 

 even on the simplest matters of Geometry, I, con- 

 vinced that I was as open to error as any other, 



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